When Crank first released in October 2004, I knew it was an important story. But I could not have predicted its phenomenal success. The story in Crank, and in its sequel, Glass, is shared by so many. But even those whose lives have never been touched by this particular monster are drawn to Kristina. Despite her many flaws, they come to care about her and her family. Especially her children.

Originally, I never planned a sequel to Crank. But readers wanted more of her story and I could probably write ten books about her fall from grace. But series tend to degrade over time, and I don’t want to give my readers progressively weaker books. Rather, I wanted the third and final Kristina book to be the most powerful of the three. And I believe I’ve done that with Fallout.

The book is written from the points of view of her three oldest children, now teens in the book, and dealing with their own lives, which are shaped by the choices she made when she was their age. At the time I write this description, the real “Hunter” is thirteen, but I write him at nineteen in Fallout. Which means I’ve written the future. Please remember it’s only one possible future, created from how I see these children’s lives now. And also please remember that, while these books are rooted in our real life, they are largely fiction.

I chose to write from her children’s POVs to give them a voice, and to give a voice to my readers who struggle with their own parents’ addictions. There are many. But I also believe the ultimate hope of these stories lies here, with the generation that can choose to break this cycle. You will get “the rest of Kristina’s story,” through different lenses because “the monster” doesn’t only destroy the addict. It tries to destroy everyone who loves him or her. Parents. Children. Partners. Spouses. Friends. If this describes you, stay strong. Get help if you need it. You might find a sense of peace and community in an organization like Al-Anon. You are not alone.